


Run & Go

by Annuska



Series: Sonadow Week 2019 [5]
Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-11
Updated: 2019-01-11
Packaged: 2019-10-06 18:54:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17350703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annuska/pseuds/Annuska
Summary: Sonic's pride gets the best of him.





	Run & Go

“You pushed yourself too hard.”

“I’m still walking, aren’t I?”

“You’re not walking, you’re limping.”

Sonic exhaled heavily. So what if he was technically limping? He was still  _moving_ , and that was good enough for him. Or it would have been, if he hadn’t been so blatantly called out on it. With a groan he tried to pass off as more frustration than pain, Sonic lifted his right leg a bit higher to take a proper step—but the moment he shifted his weight to the right, the leg betrayed him and he only barely caught himself against the tree, grasp tightening with the sharp, burning pain that shot through the limb.

“I told you.”

“Can you just, like, shut up for five minutes, Shadow?” Sonic asked, grumpier than intended. He leaned his weight against the tree and his right shoulder, uncomfortably. He could have easily used his back or left side, but that meant turning back to face the black hedgehog. “Sorry. I just mean I’m fine.”

“Are you?”

Sonic heard Shadow’s approaching footsteps, sensed the hand reaching out to him—but lifted his own to shrug the help off before it could reach him. He did, however, allow himself to lean his back against the tree and look at Shadow. “Yep. I’m fine. I’m good.”

Shadow narrowed his eyes but said nothing—then disappeared in a flash of brilliant light.

Sonic lifted his arm to cover his face until the residual light had faded and he could roll his eyes without blinding himself.  _Of course_ , he thought, beginning to limp his way along,  _leave it to Shadow to storm off like the Ultimate Crybaby. Whatever, I’m fine and—_

He barely got three thoughts or two steps ahead when another flash burst behind him, and before he had time to turn around, he found himself literally swept off his feet and in Shadow’s arms. He didn’t know whether to complain about being kicked off balance or about being swept up, and in his indecision, didn’t have time to voice either complaint as Shadow set him down against the trunk of a tree and a medium-sized, zipped canvas bag next to him.

“You’re being too prideful,” Shadow said, staring him dead in the eyes.

Sonic lifted a hand, ready to argue—but then let it go.

Instead, he allowed his body to relax, and as he eased up on the tension he’d been holding in, the burning pain in his leg lessened, just slightly. He sighed, knowing that Shadow was right—but how could he admit, especially to Shadow, that he had weaknesses? That he needed to slow down and accept help? How could he admit it to  _himself_?

He couldn’t—not verbally, anyway. Not yet.

So he watched silently as Shadow set to work cleaning and bandaging the wound, intentional and gentle all the while. He mumbled something about stitches, but Sonic was so lost in his own thoughts, he barely heard any of it. Shadow’s unhurried motions were hypnotic, lulling Sonic out of defense mode and allowing the endless tangents in his mind to wander to all sorts of places before settling on one location.

“Where did you learn to do all this?”

Shadow stopped—but only a moment—and continued to work as he spoke. “Being an experiment for a cure was only part of my responsibilities to aid Maria. I needed to know what to do in case she hurt herself, or… had an episode.” There was a moment of silence, but Shadow didn’t let his words hang in the air for too long, almost compulsively following up: “I could likely stitch it for you, but it wouldn’t be pleasant without a stronger analgesic. Better to have a doctor do it.”

“I’d like to hear more about her sometime,” Sonic said quietly.

Shadow finally looked up at him, and rather than the stoic face Sonic was used to, there was something else there, something more… vulnerable. Shadow nodded slightly, and looked back down to finish bandaging the wound before sitting back, and so returned the stoicness. “Was that really so bad?”

“I could’ve done—” Sonic stopped himself, sighed, and shook his head. “No. Thanks.” He looked down at the ground, fiddling with a stray leaf between his thumb and finger. “It’s just—look, if I stop being positive, then what happens? If I’m not, then—”

“Lying to yourself isn’t being positive, Sonic,” Shadow interrupted. Again, he stared at Sonic, and again, there was something vulnerable there, but this time, it made  _Sonic_  feel vulnerable, as if Shadow’s eyes were digging through the compartments and boxes and schemata of Sonic’s mind, trying to find what he was looking for.

Sonic looked away.

“That’s your biggest fear, isn’t it?” Shadow said slowly. “Losing use—or worse—of your legs. So something, or someone, goes for them, and the first thing you do is lie to yourself about the very real possibility that they’re at risk, because you can’t handle even thinking of the alternative.”

“Got me,” Sonic laughed weakly, finally looking back at Shadow. “But you’re wrong about one thing. It’s not my biggest fear. Just the biggest one I haven’t had to deal with yet.”

He didn’t even notice himself fiddling with the ring around his wrist, but Shadow did. And so he lifted the wrist with one hand, and removed Sonic’s hand from it with the other before kissing his wrist.

“It’s alright to be afraid sometimes, Sonic.” Shadow lowered the wrist gently. “It’s alright to trust in someone you… love. I… trust in you.”

Sonic stared at Shadow for a moment, but didn’t have to search through all the compartments and boxes and schemata of Shadow’s mind to be satisfied. He smiled. “I trust you, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Day 5 for sonadow-week at Tumblr!
> 
> Prompt: pride/humility


End file.
